The Bet
by RaiFloyd
Summary: When Freddy looks at Katie, he sees a sister and a best friend, but when he accepts a bet to ask Katie out, he finds himself falling in love with her...so what happens when Katie finds out about the bet?
1. The Bet

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INTRODUCTION/PROLOGUE**

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It's interesting how you think you'll never like someone, but it ends up worse then that. Believe me, I should know.

I never thought I'd like Katie Brown. At least not in a romantic way. Sure, I loved her as a real close friend or even a sister, but as a girlfriend? **HA!** Or…so I thought.****

It all started…

**Story: The Bet**

**CH 1 – The Bet**

I was sixteen years old and the whole band was crashing at Katie's house. It was a Friday night and Katie had a big house so we would rent some movie and watch it. On occasion, we'd even sleep over but of course, there was always adult supervision.

I was the first to arrive and when I rang the doorbell, Katie's older brother, Richard aka Rich, who was 28-years-old at the time, invited me in. Katie was upstairs showering so we sat down and started to talk. I always liked him – he and I got along pretty well. He gave me girl advice when I needed some partially because my dad…well he just can't give advice and he also played the drums so sometimes he'd teach me some neat tricks.

Anyway we're just sitting there talking about the football game the previous night, and he suddenly changes the subject. "Freddy do you have a girlfriend?"

And I'm there thinking…football…girls…hmm…how the hell did that happen? "Uh…not right now. Why?"

"I'm just a bit worried about Katie. That's all," he said in an "innocent" voice. You know those voices where they sort of talk all innocent, but you know that they just want you to ask the question so that they can tell you the whole story? Yeah, well, that's what his voice sounded like.

"Why?"

"Well, she's sixteen right now and she doesn't have a boyfriend. She's never been on a date in her whole life. I don't think she's even had a crush on a guy in her whole entire life and it kinda scares me," he said in a hushed voice. I guess he didn't want Katie to hear our conversation.

"Why?" Apparantly, 'why' was the only thing I could say.

"Well…what if she's a…a…lesbian?!" Rich asked in a loud whisper. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't want her being one is all."

I started to laugh, "Don't worry. She's not a les. She's just a late developer, that's all. I have an older sister, Maya, she didn't get into guys until she was like…twenty-two. It's perfectly normal. Some girls are just like that. I mean, it's not like Katie's girly. She's actually a tomboy."

"Yeah…that's true. But I still think she should start dating right now," Rich said as I drank some of my soda. "Freddy, why don't you ask her out?"

And that's the line that really changed my life. His question almost made me spit out the whole load of soda that was in my mouth because I wanted to laugh so hard. "Uh…no."

"Well why not? You're single…she's single…you're older then her by a few months…you're already friends! I don't get the big deal," he reasoned.

"Okay number one – I don't like her in that way! She's…that's just…EWW! And second of all, I'm pretty sure she's not interested in dating anyone anyway," I said. "Come on, this is _Katie_ we're talking about. She's not going to start dating until _waaay _later."

"You saying she's going to reject you?" he asked in a challenging tone. Then he murmered, "Chicken."

Back then I had a real pride issue. If anyone said I was too scared of something or someone, I'd prove them wrong right then and there. Not only that, I was also really competitive and clearly, Rich was opening up a challenge. "I am **not** a chicken!" I exclaimed and stood up. "I can bet you that I can get Katie to say yes to **me**! Maybe not to _other_ guys…but to **me**!"

"I'm willing to bet that she'll refuse."

"How much you willing to bet?"

"How about this," Rich leaned in towards me. "Until the end of the school year, you can ask her out as many times as you want, but if she rejects you, you pay me twenty bucks each time. But if she accepts the first time you ask, I pay you forty."

"But what if I ask her out more then once to get her to say yes and then she finally says yes?"

"I pay back all the twenties you paid me and add an extra forty. Deal?" Rich shook out his hand. I looked at it oddly. It wasn't like Rich to do this type of thing – especially with Katie. You see, Katie was like his 'baby' sister. He was overly protective of her. In some ways, you could almost say that Katie was actually his daughter. Her dad had passed away when she was young and her mom always had to work to support the family, so Rich was stuck taking care of her and actually _raising_ her. You had to admit that even though the deal sounded good, there was something awfully suspicious.

"Wait a minute…your like Katie's older protective brother dude. Why would you place a bet on her? Why me?"

"Fact is Freddy, I trust you. It's not like I don't trust Zack, but he already has a girlfriend. Besides, he and Katie just don't have the 'spark' like you and her have," Rich said.

"Spark?"

"Forget I mentioned it," he said and shook out his hand again. "So do you accept or not?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. Why not? I liked challenges – especially with girls. You could say that it…furthered my knowledge and experience with 'girl' world which is a useful skill for man _and_ I could use the extra money.

"Deal," I said and grabbed his hand in mine. At the time, it seemed perfect; no risks, no harm. But looking back, I realized how that bet changed my life forever.

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**A/N: Please REVIEW! :)**


	2. Attraction

**CH 2 - Attraction**

I've never been the type of guy to stay in a relationship for more then three weeks – four at the most. I'm not sure why, but I often use the excuse of my parents. They got divorced when I was nine-years-old. You could say that I got real traumatized by it. I even started to smoke at that age. I didn't do drugs, get high or get drunk or anything; I just smoked.

Anyway, I sort of didn't believe in that whole love story my parents used to tell me before I went to bed. About finding the one person you truly love. And yes, I know this sounds incredibly girly, but they did tell me stories like that. And I was glad cause back then, a lot of my friend's parents were splitting apart and I felt lucky. But in the end, they broke up. So I lost all my hope and faith. So at 16-years-old, I didn't care about a long-term relationship. I just wanted to be with someone. To kiss, to hold, it really didn't matter who as long as I wasn't alone.

Which was why I found it so odd that Katie's _brother_ who _knows_ that I don't have long-term relationships with girls, would ask me to do this. Surely he couldn't have expected me to stick with her. I know she's my friend and all, but that's all she is. She doesn't even have a figure; or at least I thought she didn't.

So it was the strange day, Mid-December, at Larry's pool party that I found out I was incredibly attracted to her. Now don't ask me why Larry, keyboardist of School of Rock, would hold a pool party in the _middle of winter, _but it was indoors and it was heated, so why the hell not?

There had been two months since the bet was made and I still had made no attempt to ask her out. If I was going to do this, I had to do it _correctly_. And I would have to do it right the first time even though I know I'd get more money the other way, but it wasn't about the money. It was about my pride. My stupid, stupid pride.

As usual, I was the last to arrive. Everybody was in the pool throwing around the beach ball, except for Dewey and Tomika who decided to sit down and eat some barbeque. And of course; there was one other person missing; Katie.

Already in my trunks, I walked toward Dewey who was putting CD's in the radio. "Hey Dew," I called out to him.

"Hey Fredy," he said looking over his CD collection. "About time. We were worried."

"You know me," I said and set my bags aside. "I'm never on time. Well sometimes."

"Well what are you waiting for buddy? Jump in the pool!" Dewey ordered in a voice that wanted you to have fun, yet it was still being bossy at the same time.

Without a response, I did a cannonball into the pool where everybody looked at me for a minute. The next second, they lunged at me.

"Freddy!" Summer whined. "You ruined our beach ball record!"

"So just start where you left off. They'll never know," I shrug and give her a nuggy on the head.

"About time you came man," Larry said swimming towards me to give me a hug. He looked a lot different then when I first met him. I guess you could say he was more 'cool' like he always wanted to be. He dressed baggier, had spikier hair, and he ditched the glasses. Not to mention, lotsa asian girls were after the guy. All thanks to me.

"Yeah," I said wiping my face. I looked around. "Where's Katie?"

"I think she's still getting dressed," he said. At that moment, I heard footsteps emerge from the dressing room and there's Katie looking hot as ever. Her hair tied into a high ponytail as usual, only it was messy in this sexy looking kind of way. Her skin was smooth with not one scar or scratch. Sure she had a few moles on her arms and a zit here and there, but to me, all that went unnoticed. Her two piece suit, had revealed a figure that can very well match J. Lo's. Boy was I wrong about that.

I cat-whistled her and she looked straight at me. That was the first time I noticed how pretty her honey brown eyes were. How easily I could stare into them all day without getting bored. "Shut up, Freddy!" She joked at me and jumped in the water. "Summer I'm going to kill you for making me wear this!" She swam after Summer who screamed and laughed.

"Relax," I said. "For once in your life, you look hot." Everybody turned to look at me like I was insane. Did I just say that out loud? From the looks on everybody's faces, especially Katie's disgusted look that she gives to perverts, yes I did just say that out loud.

I felt myself get a little pink, but no way in hell was I going to let anybody know I was embarrassed. I shrugged casually, "Oh like all of you weren't thinking it either."

"Shut up Freddy!" she splashed water at me. Then she got out of the pool, "That's it. I'm changing."

I grabbed her ankle and pulled her in the water so she fell in with a big splash. "Come on, we're just kidding around," I smiled at her. "Besides I was only saying it to get on your nerves. You know me. I could _never_ like you or Summer or Marta or Tomika in that way."

"Yeah, you're right," she said softly and then hit me in the arm. "Don't do that again!" Then she swam off to shout at Summer who I assumed, made her wear the suit in the first place. Truth was, I really did mean what I say and I wanted to see her stay a bit longer in that suit. I knew I wasn't going to get to see her in it for a _long _time.

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A/N: Short chapter I know, but **thank you to everyone who reviewed**! I know it took a while, but I was having trouble coming up with a follow up. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. XD Oh and can anybody please tell me if this chapter seemed a bit too corny? It was the best I could do, so I apologize.

A/N 2: **Yes, I have changed my pen name to nissanchild**. Apparantly missbrightside was already taken. Oh well.

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**Swimmerkitti: **Yeah, I was a bit worried it'd be too much like Draco and Hermione type of fics, but I'm trying not to let it go near anywhere like that. If you can, please give me advice. I know this sounds weird, but I always look up to you as a very professional writer. I don't know _why_, but I just do. You always have great advice and you seem like a tough critic so I'm glad when I get good reviews from you.

**Ameila Bedelia: **You know, I haven't actually thought of that, but thanks for telling me! If I use it, I'll give you credit.

**luv 4 jon 4 evr: **I'm very flattered that you're reading both of my stories! Thanks so much! I will update Don't Ever Let Me Go. It's just taking me a while. I need to think of something that will make you and others satisfied. Don't worry; I won't quit on it. I love it too much to do that. :P


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